.Uno

.UNO is the only Internet domain dedicated to the Hispanic and Latino communities online. Our mission is to redefine the Internet by introducing the first domain extension dedicated to creating a seamless user experience that is both linguistically and culturally relevant to Latinos worldwide. To learn more visit us at www.get.uno

[unodomains]

And Now An Important Message From Professor UNO

This is Professor UNO, I just had some free time from my VERY busy schedule to tell you something. Something BIG. Something... sexy?

Nevermind that! Come take a look at what I'm talking about. Trust me, I'm a Professor!

[unodomains]

The Language Salad that is Latin America

 Earlier this week, NPR's Laurdes Garcia-Navaro published this broadcast on her experience thus far as a Spanish-speaking reporter at the 2014 World Cup. (Click the link above to give a listen)

According to Garcia, many Brazilian's loath listening to her accent when she reports in Portuguese. Some have even go so far as to write her about her "offensive" pronunciation. 

Garcia's piece reveals the passionate contentions surrounding the linguistic identity of Latin America. Even though Portuguese is in fact the region's predominant language (if only by a couple 100k) many countries, including the U.S., tend to lump the region together into one Spanish-speaking mass. This in turn is what has so many Brazilians angry and highly critical towards unpolished Portuguese. 

For those of you who could use a brief geography lesson, below is a list of 5 major languages in Latin America. The results may surprise you. 

1) Portuguese 

Portuguese isn't spoken throughout South America, but it is the primary language of one nation: Brazil. Brazil is the most populous and largest country in South America, so even though Portuguese is not the primary language elsewhere on the continent, almost half the population of South America speaks it. 

2) Spanish 

Spanish is the most widely spoken Language in Latin America, but it is not the same Spanish as spoken in Spain. They are different dialects of the same language, and Spanish in Latin America is referred to as Latinoamerica, and Spanish in Spain is referred to as castellano. 

3) Quechua 

With some 8 to 10 million speakers this language family is primarily spoken in the Andes of South America. It is an official Language in Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador. Its origins trace farther back to before the time of the Incan Empire. 

4) Mayan 

This language family is spoken predominately in Mesoamerica and northern Central America (Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras). It is believed to have some 6 million indigenous speakers and its linage traces back at least 5,000 years. 

5) French 

The French Guiana was colonized by the french and is there for a member of the EU. The primary language is, you guessed it, French. In addition to the country's other glaring dissimilarities with the rest of the continent, the french Guiana is also where the European Space Agency Launches it's satellites. 

6) Dutch 

Yes, Dutch. As a result of their colonization by the English and Dutch, the people of tiny Suriname (the smallest sovereign state in South America) primarily speak Dutch. They also speak an english-based Creole and something called Sranang. 

[unodomains]

 How do you .Uno? 

In honor of our local event with the Hispanic Chamber of commerce, Fiesta KC, .Uno is introducing our first ever social media contest that runs from Friday, June 20th to Saturday June 21st, 2014. The rules are simple, we're asking you to get creative and innovative and tell us how you .UNO. The winner will get a brand-new android tablet. 

contest guidelines: 

1) Follow @unodomains on twitter

2) Create your own cleaver .uno domain.

Example: www.numero.uno or www.somos.uno

3) Next tell us (@reply on twitter) what you (or anyone) would do with this domain that would be really innovative and awesome. 

Example: "at numero.uno I'd write a blog about all the top soccer players at the world cup"

4) We choose the best idea and the creator wins an android tablet. 

This contest is open to anyone around the world and we encourage all ideas, whether practical or purely creative, to apply. So don't wait and tell us how do you .UNO? 

[unodomains]

En honor de nuestro evento local con el Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Fiesta KC, .Uno está introduciendo su primer concurso de medios de comunicación social desde el Viernes, 20 de Junio hasta el Sábado, 21 de Junio, 2014. Las reglas son simples, les pedimos que sean creativos e innovadores y que nos digan como ustedes .UNO! El ganador recibirá una tableta de Android nueva

Reglas del concurso: 

1) Síguenos en twitter @unodomains

 2) Crear su propio .UNO dominio

Ejemplos: www.numero.uno o www.somos.uno

3) Luego díganos en twitter (@responder) lo que tu harías (o cualquier persona) con este dominio que sea muy innovador e interesante.

Un ejemplo: “ en numero.uno yo escribiría un blog de todos los mejores jugadores del #Mundial2014."

  4) Nosotros elegiremos la mejor idea y el creador ganara una tableta android.

Este concurso estará abierto para cualquier persona alrededor del mundo y animamos a cualquier idea, sea práctica o simplemente creativa, para aplicar. No esperes, y dinos como ustedes .UNO.

[unodomains]

Thanks to Kauffman Scholars .Uno is fortunate to receive two new faces at our HQ this summer, interns Sugey Sandoval and Jorge Sosas. After his first two weeks on the job, we asked Jorge to give an official introduction to the .Uno cyber community. 

Who are you and what do you do? 

My name is Jorge A. Sosa, I'm 19 years old and I was born in Zacatecas, Zacatecas, Mexico.  I am currently a junior and attend the University of Kansas and I plan on graduating spring of 2016.  I am double majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and Supply Chain Management.  I chose Business Administration because I have always had a dream to own my own business, so it only seemed right to follow this path. Everywhere I look there is always business involved, which makes me want be involved with this field.

How'd you hear about this internship? 

I came across this internship opportunity with the help of my Kauffman coach, Brandi Spates, she mentioned a new program they were starting called "Start Up Scholars."  I decided to fill out the application and choose internships I was interested in, .UNO was one of them.  What stuck out to me was the fact that one of .UNO's focuses were on the Hispanic community, and I felt like this was my way of starting to give back to my community. I have enjoyed my experience so far, it is a very relaxing environment and as each day progresses I start to be more helpful by contributing more and more each time. 

What are you thoughts about .UNO so far and what do you hope to gain this summer? 

.UNO is important because it will help the Internet expand and the way things are classified. It will also help the Spanish speaking community connect with each other over the Internet which is much needed since the Internet has mainly been dominated by English. Through this internship I hope to improve my overall knowledge of businesses and communication skills, but mainly just attain skills I can use in the future.

[unodomains]

Welcoming the .UNO Interns, Summer 2014

This summer the .UNO team is fortunate to welcome two new members into the fold. Interns Sugey Sandoval and Jorge Sosa come to us via the Kauffman Foundation, specifically a program called Startup Scholars. Thanks to this initiative, talented students like Sugey and Jorge gain 21st century workplace skills while contributing to early stage businesses and entrepreneurs like .UNO. 

We are so excited to have these two on board and thought we'd give them the chance to officailly introduce themselves to our cyber community: First up, is Sugey Sandoval. 

Who are you and what do you do? 

My name is Sugey Sandoval, I'm 19 years old and I was born In Chihuahua, Chi Mexico. I attend UMKC and major in Business (finance). I chose this major because I found myself not interested in pre-dental and science classes my first semester and while I was searching for a new major for my college career I found business interesting but i'm still not sure if finance is right for me.

How'd you hear about this internship?

From my Kauffman coachs email announcing, "there's a new startup scholars internship program". While I was looking at the internships I found .UNO to be the most interesting and unique. The thing that stuck out the most was it being involved with the internet and having a part in it. Even though I didn't know much about domains and things related to it, I thought it would be an awesome experience to have for the summer.

What do you think about .UNO so far?

I think .UNO is important because it connects people throughout the internet to the Hispanic market and by having a .UNO domain you can have the branding benefits for your target clients.

What are your goals for this internship?

I'm hoping to gain more knowledge about different skills that it takes to be in a business environment like for example marketing and social media marketing. 

[unodomains]

Cómo el gTLD “.UNO” reestructurará un Internet latinoamericano fragmentado.

.UNO es el primer gTLD dedicado a proporcionar una experiencia online más fluida para toda la comunidad latina.

Mauricio Floccari tiene 27 años, y nació y creció en Buenos Aires. Antes de empezar por su cuenta como emprendedor tecnológico, había estado trabajando durante 6 años como supervisor de ventas en una de las empresas de hosting más importantes de Argentina. Pero después de una afortunada aparición en un programa de televisión, “Minuto para Gnara,” Mauricio reunió el dinero suficiente para fundar su primera empresa: Arma Tu Pizza. Viniendo de una familia de pizzeros, tanto chefs como propietarios, Mauricio tomó la oportunidad de unir, en un mismo negocio, sus dos pasiones y creó una pizzería high-tech. En Arma Tu Pizza, los clientes pueden elegir los ingredientes a través de una aplicación en su smartphone. Las pizzas están a la venta prácticamente 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana y los pagos se pueden realizar online, algo novedoso en Latinoamérica, donde la mayoría de los negocios solo aceptan efectivo.

Pero cuando Mauricio se puso a buscar un nombre relevante y fácil de recordar para su dominio, algo que le hiciera destacar en Internet, eligió ArmaTuPizza.UNO. ¿Por qué? Según Mauricio, “suena bien y es fácil de recordar.” Pero sobre todo, le diferencia de todos los otros negocios argentinos que alojan sus webs en .AR. 

La mayoría de los negocios en Buenos Aires, y los negocios latinoamericanos en general, dependen excesivamente de los dominios ccTLD (Dominio de Nivel Superior Geográfico). En el caso de Argentina, es .AR, el cual es un dominio exclusivo del territorio del país, y mayormente ignorado por las direcciones IP del extranjero. Esto significa que, si estoy en Santiago de Chile, buscando “botas de vaquero,” todos los sitios con origen en Argentina, Uruguay o cualquier país vecino que usen un dominio ccTLD, probablemente no vayan a aparecer en los resultados de mi búsqueda. 

Es por eso que, a pesar de tener la población de consumidores de Internet con el crecimiento más rápido del mundo, y una gran demanda de medios sociales y compra online, Internet en América Latina sigue muy segmentada; dividida entre 20 fronteras geográficas.

 Puede que no parezca un gran dilema pero, para ponerlo en perspectiva, imagina que cada uno de los estados de los Estados Unidos tuviera su propio dominio. Imagina, por ejemplo, que Texas tuviera su propio dominio .TX y casi todos los negocios tejanos prefirieran usar el dominio .TX. Claro que es más económico y hay más nombres de dominio disponibles, pero todos los sitios .TX son casi invisibles para aquellos ubicados fuera del estado. En realidad, esa infraestructura ilógica ha provocado un aislamiento entre los negocios latinoamericanos e impide el flujo del comercio electrónico entre los países vecinos.

Es por eso que .UNO se convirtió en el primer dominio dedicado a los hispanohablantes y latinos de todo el mundo. Igual que un ccTLD, .UNO es relevante lingüística y culturalmente; su nombre, “uno”, transmite un mensaje de unidad y compañerismo. .UNO es bastante más económico que un .com y hay una inmensidad de dominios disponibles.  Lo que es más importante, como es un gTLD, .UNO tiene alcance global. .UNO ofrece la oportunidad para todos los usuarios y negocios latinoamericanos de construir una plataforma global que satisfaga sus preferencias lingüísticas y culturales.

Es importante darse cuenta de que tener un gTLD dedicado a Latinoamérica trae más beneficios, y no sólo para los negocios regionales. Por ejemplo, cuando Wal-Mart se introdujo en América Latina, construyendo locales en Brasil, México, Chile y Argentina, sus ejecutivos decidieron crear cuatro sitios distintos, uno para cada país, usando el ccTLD correspondiente. Pero si la popularidad de un sitio está determinada por el número de visitas únicas que recibe, imagina lo efectivo que habría sido para Wal-Mart tener un solo sitio en .UNO, en lugar de desviar este tráfico en cuatro direcciones distintas. 

Llegado este punto, todos sabemos que Internet sigue expandiéndose y que, pronto, cientos de nuevos gTLD estarán poblando nuestros navegadores. Pero, mientras que la mayoría de estos nuevos dominios fueron desarrollados exclusivamente como marcas, .UNO es una herramienta que va a redefinir la manera en que Internet en español se consume y estructura. 

[unodomains]

En www.Futbol.Uno los fanáticos verán el partido antes del partido, y todo lo que pasa en FIFA 2014.

 Hoy los ojos del mundo están en Brasil para el puntapié inicial del torneo más grande del deporte, la Copa Mundial de la FIFA 2014™.

Para cualquier fanático verdadero del futbol, este día ha llegado después de cuatro años—En los próximos treinta días se verán los mejores equipos del mundo batallar para el título de la Copa del Mundo. Para celebrar este evento global .UNO ha desarrollado  www.Futbol.uno, un sitio único que mejorará la experiencia del mundial para todos los fanáticos, no importa si están a miles de kilómetros o si están en el corazón de San Paulo. 

En futbol.UNO hemos reunido todos los equipos participantes en solo sitio. Acá encontrarás los datos más recientes de los equipos y sus mejores jugadores, también las actualizaciones de su Facebook, Twitter e Instagram. Para el mundial Futbol.UNO es tu lugar para ver el partido antes del partido. Visita futbol.uno para seguir a tus jugadores favoritos, ver el estadio Maracaná desde su Instagram y leer sus actualizaciones en Twitter mientras la competencia y la presión aumentan. 

Este es un momento colosal en la historial del futbol y .UNO está aquí para asegurar que no te pierdas nada. Visita futbol.uno y deja que comiencen los juegos.   

At www.Futbol.UNO fans can catch the game before the game, and everything in between, at FIFA 2014 

Today the world’s eyes are on Brazil for the kickoff of the biggest tournament in sports, the 2014 FIFA World Cup. ™

For any serious football fan, this day has been four years in the making—the next month is about watching the best teams on the planet battle it out for the chance to take home the World Cup title. In honor of this global event .UNO has developed www.futbol.uno, a one of a kind site that will enhance the world cup experience for any fan, whether they’re thousands of miles away, or in the heart of San Paulo. 

At futbol.uno we’ve pulled together all of the World Cup’s participating teams onto one site. Here you’ll find the latest data on teams and their star players, as well as live feeds of their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Futbol.uno is your one spot to catch the game before the game. Visit futbol.uno to keep tabs on your favorite players, see the Maracanã stadium through their Instagram and read up on their twitter fed as the heat of the competition thickens. 

This is a monumental moment in football history and .UNO is here to make sure you won’t miss a beat. Visit futbol.uno and let the games begin. 

[unodomains]

[unodomains]

How the  “.UNO” gTLD will restructure Latin America’s Fragmented Internet Landscape:

.UNO is the first gTLD dedicated to providing a more seamless online user experience for Latinos, worldwide.

Mauricio Floccari is 27 years old, born and raised in Buenos Aires. Before breaking out on his own as a tech entrepreneur, he’d spent the last six years working for Argentina’s largest Internet hosting company as a supervisor of sales. But after a fateful appearance on a local television game show, Mauricio managed to walk away with enough winnings to launch his first business, Arma Tu Pizza (build your pizza). Having come from a family of Pizzeria chefs and owners, Mauricio chose a business model that combined the best of both his worlds--a high tech pizzeria where patrons can customize their pies with whatever toppings they think of, using an app. The Pizzas are available nearly 24/7, and payments can be made online as well--rare for Latin America, where the majority of transactions are made using cash only.     

But when Mauricio sought a relevant and easy to remember domain name, something that would allow his unique business to standout online, he chose ArmaTuPizza.UNO. Why? According to Mauricio, “it sounds nice and is easy to remember.” Most importantly, it sets him apart from all the other local businesses that host their sites at .AR.

Most Buenos Aires businesses, and Latin American businesses in general, rely heavily on ccTLDs, or Country Code Top Level Domains. Argentina in this case uses .AR, which is a domain exclusive to the country’s territory and largely unresponsive to foreign IP addresses. This means if I’m in Santiago, Chile searching for “cowboy boots,” any sites based in Argentina, Uruguay, or other neighboring countries that are using a ccTLD domain, are less likely to appear in my search results.

This is why, despite being the region with the fastest growing Internet population in the world and with an appetite for social media and online shopping, Latin America’s internet remains largely segmented and divided amongst 20 geographic borders.

That may not sound like a big deal, but to put it into perspective, it would be like each U.S. state having its own domain. Imagine if Texas, for example, had the domain .TX and nearly all locally based sites preferred the .TX domain. Sure, it’s more affordable and there are more available address options, but .TX sites are almost invisible to anyone located outside the state’s borders. In reality, this illogical infrastructure has isolated Latin American businesses and continues to impede e-commerce traffic between neighboring Latin American countries.  

That’s why .UNO became the first gTLD dedicated to Spanish-speakers and Latinos worldwide. Just like a country code domains, .UNO is culturally and linguistically relevant, meaning “one,” and also conveys a message of unity and togetherness. It’s significantly more affordable than a .com and there are countless available web address options. Most importantly, as a gTLD that means it has a global reach. .UNO offers the chance for Latin American businesses and individuals to build a global platform that caters to their linguistic and cultural needs.


It’s important to realize that having a gTLD dedicated to Latin America, benefits more than just those regionally based companies. As an example, when Wal-mart launched into the Latin American market, building locations in Brazil, Mexico, Chile and Argentina, they made the choice to create four different websites, one for each country, using their corresponding ccTLD. Now, if a site’s online presence is boosted by the number of unique visitors it receives, imagine how much more effective it would have been for Wal-mart to use a single site at .UNO rather than divide up their traffic four ways?

At this point, we all know that the Internet is expanding and that very soon hundreds of new gTLDs will begin to populate our browsers. But, while most of these new domains were developed specifically for branding purposes, .UNO is actually a tool that will redefine how the Spanish Internet is consumed and structured.




[unodomains]

What the #WhatLatinosLookLike Hashtag Can Teach Us About the Hispanic Market 

Yesterday Huffington Post's Voces Latinos initiated a trend on twitter that caught wind pretty fast. In all, it generated some 600 tweets, complete with a plethora of photos depicting friends, families and individual selfies, i.e. the diverse shades and shapes of people who proudly identify as Latino.

This campaign was set off in response to a New York Times article published earlier in the week that, based on unpublished PEW reporting of the 2010 census data, claimed that today's U.S. Latino population was identifying more and more as white—supporting a theory that Hispanics may assimilate as white Americans, like the Italians or Irish. 

For the reporters and experts following the national discussion on race, this conclusion raised some red flags. Most importantly, as Huffington Post reporter Roque Planas points out,

  “The Census doesn't use terms that actually apply to many Latinos' mixed-race background.”

Obviously, a more nuanced understanding of the census data and corresponding questions are necessary before drawing any conclusions about fundamental trends in the U.S. Latino population. 

But the results that really do speak for themselves, are the hundreds of photos that streamed in yesterday to the Voces Latinos Twitter feed. These were images of Latino college grads in caps and gowns, snaps of families with multiple generations, and individuals professing their unique ethnic heritage, like:

“Half #Colombian half #Dominican and 100% American”

“100% Gringo but 50/50 Spanish-Cuban mix in my heart”

 “My Mom Antonia, from Spanish/Greek descendants, 100% Puerto Rican”

“Spanish mother and father from Equatorial Guinea”

Clearly, the U.S. census is struggling to accurately capture the Latino population, which is as diverse ethnically and culturally as it is numerous. In fact, the term Hispanic truly refers to a culture, one that encompasses more than 20 countries and countless ethnic combinations and cultural influences.

 For all the markets out there focusing on the Hispanic Markets, remember, there are no sweeping generalizations or one-size-fit-all solutions that apply here—be cautious of any resource that states otherwise.

[unodomains]

Cuando supimos de la nueva pizzaría en Buenos Aires con un sitio .UNO, ArmaTuPizza.uno, quisimos aprender más. Después de contactar fundador y CEO Mauricio Floccari, nos contò porque decidió registrar su dominio .UNO y como le ha servido como un emprendedor tech en Buenos Aires.

  De donde eres y que es tu perfil profesional?

Nací en Quilmes, provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Tengo 32 años, vengo de familia de pizzeros, lo aclaro, porque este punto es importante y fundamental para mi proyecto. Estudié administración de empresas y trabajé hasta hace pocos meses durante casi 6 años, como supervisor de Ventas, en una de las empresas de hosting mas impórtate del país., El Server.com. Mi perfil es comercial 100% y emprendedor por naturaleza.

En 2012 gane dinero en un programa de televisión, Minuto Para ganar, y decidí empezar con el proyecto armatupizza, que luego de un año de trabajo en octubre de 2013 abrimos el primer local en Palermo, Buenos Aires.

Como supiste de .UNO y porque elegiste usar un .UNO dominio para tu sitio?

 Supe de esta nueva extensión de dominios a mediados de febrero, estaba trabajando en la empresa y un amigo me dice: “Mauri, mira este video” , vi el institucional de su sitio y automáticamente me dije, "armatupizza tiene que ser .uno."

Para ti que significa .UNO?

 .UNO para mi significo desde un principio la expansión del negocio, hoy contamos con dos locales. El segundo se inaugura el día que comienza el mundial, pero la idea siempre es crecer en la región y .UNO es la llave que me abre esa puerta.

Hasta ahora, como va tu experiencia con .UNO, veas que haya más ventajas que los otros dominios?

 El dominio principal de la empresa es armatupizza.com.ar (Dominio local), toda la folleteria y publicaciones se hacen con esta extensión, pero cuando hablo del proyecto para que recuerde mas fácil la extensión y no entrar en el típico error de si es .COM o .com.ar, digo armatupizza.uno. Suena lindo y es fácil de recordar.

Creas que más emprendedores como tu deben saber de .UNO? 

 Claro que lo deben en cuenta, de hecho cada vez que hablo con gente del entorno informo sobre este dominio y las ventajas del mismo.

[unodomains]

When we first heard that a new high-tech pizza company in Buenos Aires was using .UNO for their website, ArmaTuPizza.Uno we had to learn more. After contacting founder and CEO Mauricio Floccari we got the "dish" on why he chose .UNO and what that's done for him as a tech entrepreneur in Buenos Aires. 

  Where are you from and what's you're professional background? 

I was born in Quilmes, a providence in Buenos Aires. I'm 32 years old and I come from a family of Pizza chefs, I mention this because it's extremely important for my project. I studied Business Administration and until recently I had spent six year working as a sales supervisor for the biggest hosting company in the country, El Server. I'd say my background is 100% business and entrepreneurial by nature.

In 2012 I won money on a television show, Minuto Para Ganar, and decided to launch my project Arma Tu Pizza (build your pizza). Last October we opened our first location in Palermo, Buenos Aires.  

How did you hear about .UNO and why did you choose it for your site ArmaTuPizza.UNO?

I was working at my job and a friend says to me "Mauri, look at this video." I saw the YouTube video for your site and automatically said to myself, "Arma Tu Pizza has to be at .UNO"

What does .UNO mean to you? 

Since the beginning, .UNO to me means the expansion of my business. Today we have two locations, (the second will be opening on the first day of the World Cup), but the idea is to always grow in the region and .UNO is the key that opened that door for me. 

What has your experience using .UNO beed like so far? 

The main domain of the company is ArmaTuPizza.com.ar (local domain), all the businesses here use that domain. But when I'm talking about my project, so that people remember my domain and so they don't fall into the typical error of, .com or .com.ar?, I say "ArmaTuPizza.UNO." It sounds nice and is easy to remember. 

Do you think more entrepreneurs like yourself should know about .UNO

Of course they should, in fact each time I talk with people from the area I inform them about this domain and it's advantages. 

[unodomains]

Cultural awareness: the secret of Hispanic Marketing.

Dallas company, Pizza Patron, gains loyal latino consumers with Cultural awareness 

 It used to be that translating a website and a few ads into Spanish was enough for a company to say they’d “developed” a Hispanic initiative. But now that Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S., and by 2050 they will account for 30% of the nation’s population, companies will have to put forth their best efforts if they hope to appeal to this increasingly valuable market. (2010 U.S. Census).

Many companies have spent millions to initiate Hispanic Marketing campaigns, only to withdraw if an immediate return is not produced. However, the Hispanics Market can no longer be viewed as a short-term expense, but rather a strategic long-term investment and the messaging must be relevant--Because who can forget the American Dairy Association for their Spanish equivalent of the "got milk?" ads, which translated literally means, "are you lactating?"

Today, as more and more companies begin targeting this demographic, Latinos are being bombarded with ads and they’re sick of it. Latinos don’t just want to be sold too, in fact they are more likely to value brands that empower their cultural relevancy and take the time to understand who they are and what they represent morally, ethically and culturally. Remember that people from 22 different countries of origin are considered to be Hispanic—each fosters their own traditions and linguistic colloquialisms. In that sense, Hispanics are a culture not a race, and they’re certainly not a “one size fits all” consumer base.

As companies like Pizza Patron will prove, you don’t need to be of any specific heritage to develop this sort of awareness— you just need to invest the time to learn about their cultural characteristics and the values that would drive Latinos to trust your brand. This short video tells the story of a company that has successfully built a loyal Latino consumer basis. Owner, Mr. Swad proves that a long-term commitment paired with cultural awareness and sensitivity are keys to success.  

[unodomains]

Me Encanta, McDonald’s success as a multicultural marketer.

Why McDonald’s received an award for “Marketer of the Year” by AHAA

Last year, the award for Marketer of the Year went to Walmart. This year, AHAA: The Voice of Hispanic Marketing announced McDonald’s as the 2014 recipient. Their preference for the golden arches came for a number of choice reasons; primarily its legacy of anticipating critical demographic shifts, pioneering the total market approach, and placing the ethnic consumer at the heart of its company-wide strategies. (AHAA)

The journey began with the results of the 1980’s census that highlighted the rapid growth of the U.S. Hispanic market. Soon after, McDonald's became deeply involved in music, including the Latin Grammys, as well as efforts placed on sports events like the World Cup. McDonald’s reflected their dedication on all company levels with generous scholarship programs for Hispanics (awarding more than $22 million dollars since 1985) and training and career growth for Hispanic employees within the McDonald’s Hispanic Owner-Operator Association (MHOA).

Since then, McDonald's has upheld a rare consistency. While other companies hop in and out of the U.S. Hispanic market, cutting budgets when times are lean, McDonald’s has ranked among the top 5 advertisers in the Hispanic market year after year. McDonald's ranked No. 4 in 2012, spending $107.7 million, and upped its Hispanic media spending by 3.4% to $111.4 million in 2013.

 For McDonald’s, the U.S. Hispanic population has become the backbone of the company’s promotional strategies. More than a decade ago, McDonald's began developing a marketing strategy based first and foremost on ethnic insights. They established a total market approach with three different marketing directors, one for each of the three predominant U.S. demographics: Hispanic, African American and Asian American. Today, 40% of McDonald’s current U.S. business comes from the Hispanic, Asian and African-American markets. In addition, 50% of consumers under the age of 13 (their most loyal customers) are from those segments. (read more here)

 But it’s primarily Hispanic consumers who shape the McDonald’s menu and ad campaigns. This includes wide product testing with Spanish-language focus groups and testing in Hispanic designated markets before a national launch. Items born from the Hispanic trend include some of Mickey D’s more zesty treats, like the Chipotle BBQ Bacon Angus Third Pounder and the Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder.

 Historically, McDonald’s is one of the first companies to support every marketing initiative with dedicated in-language and culturally relevant communication to Hispanics. This includes a Spanish-language website, www.MeEncanta.Com as well as exclusively Spanish Twitter and Facebook accounts. The McDonald's brand spot called "First Customer" debuted during the Academy Awards and was named one of the five best ideas of the year by U.S.H. Idea Awards. The ad features an all Hispanic cast as well and a script that includes words in Spanish.  

  Click to Watch Ad

What we can learn from McDonald’s shining example of successful in the Hispanic Market is that our own efforts cannot be lax. Results come from a company-wide initiative that’s reflected on all levels. It’s about consistency and most importantly an awareness of culturally relevancy.

[unodomains]

 Siestas, a timeless Latin American Custom. 

If you’ve ever traveled to Latin America, specifically countries like Mexico, you may notice something peculiar happening everyday around the hours of 2 to 3. Nothing. Shops often close their doors and streets empty as most everyone slinks away for an hour and snoozes.

 It’s a phenomenon known as the Siesta, and it’s a longstanding cultural influence that was brought to Latin America by the Spaniards. In Spain it’s customary to take a 1 to 2 hour nap following lunch, or La Comida, during what is also the hottest point in the day. And while recent science shows that perhaps the 1 to 2 hours might be over doing it, grabbing 10 to 20 minute of Zz’s in the afternoon has a lot of benefits—not just for you but for your employer as well.

 Not only have siestas existed for thousands of years, they were once regarded as a physical necessity, not just a luxury. That’s because there is actually a biological need for people everywhere to take a short rest in the afternoon. As Biphasic creatures, we need two periods of sleep, a long one at night and a shorter one during the day. Doing so will not only revive energy levels, it can also increase productivity by 30% and improve alertness by up to 100%. Getting an extra 10 to 20 minuets of shuteye can also reduce your risk of heart disease and stress levels by 34%. 

Here in the U.S. we could certainly use a lesson from our friends south of the border. So next time your eyelids start dropping during that midafternoon Powerpoint presentation, kick up your feet and remind everyone “hey, it’s Siesta hour!”

[unodomains]

Thinking Positive, what good will come of Brazil’s 2014 World Cup? 

On June 12th the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Brazil for the second time since 1950, when the country last hosted the games. Amongst the controversy of pros and cons for how these games will affect Brazil’s future, here are three very likely and positive outcomes for Latin America’s largest and most populated country.

A BOOST IN BUILDING

 Over the past two decades Brazil’s economy has grown substantially thanks to a growing middle class and their fierce rate of consumption. In fact Brazil is now the seventh wealthiest economy in the world, however the country admits their infrastructure is lagging behind and that’s holding back progress.

 Thankfully organizing a massive event, such as the World Cup, means big investments for the 12 host cities in sectors such as telecommunication, transportation systems and airports. These are notable upgrades that would hardly have taken place had it not been for the World Cup. (WorldCrunch)

  MONEY TO BE MADE

 Obviously hosting FIFA 2014 will mean an upswing for Brazil’s economy. Thanks to the influx of an estimated 600k tourists together with the 3 million Brazilian attendees, serious Reals will be made from sales in food and beverage, lodging, car rental, TV broadcasting and advertising during the games. Not to mention the loads futbol-inspired commerce. (Foreign Affairs Reporting)

  A NEW WORKFORCE

As kick off day approaches, companies are preparing their employees to handle the influx in business and service to foreigners. This means training them in new skills, for example, teaching them a foreign language. The impact of these new highly skilled laborers could prove to be highly beneficial, especially since hosts to the FIFA World Cup tend to experience a subsequent increase in tourism that can last (Gulf Times).

So on June 12th, when you sit down with a cold cerveza for the 2014 opening ceremony, keep your eyes pealed. Brazil is likely to make major headway in these areas and it might be a good idea to consider some new domains, Turismo.UNO perhaps? 

[unodomains]

A New Study Reveals the Most, and Least, Connected Countries in Latin American--the results will surprise you. 

A massive new study was just carried out by the World Economic Forum, entitled “Global Information Technology Report 2014.” This annual report ranks 148 countries around the world for their level of Internet connectivity.

 Not surprisingly Finland takes the No.1 spot as the world’s most connected country, followed by Singapore, and Sweden. However the results showed for countries in Latin America and the Caribbean are rather unexpected.

Listed in order of, the most, to least connected countries, the ranking is as follows:

Chile (35

Panama (43)

Costa Rica (53)

Barbados (55)

Uruguay (56)

Colombia (63)

Brazil (69)

Mexico (79)

Ecuador (82)

Jamaica (86)

Peru (90)

 Dominican Republic (93)

 El Salvador (98)

Argentina (100)

Guatemala (101)

Paraguay (102)

Venezuela (106)

Honduras (116)

Bolivia (120)

 Nicaragua (124)

Haiti (143)

(weforum)

As you'll see, the performance of Latin America’s biggest Internet markets, namely Mexico and Brazil, has dropped significantly since last year’s study. But that's because this index measures some 54 variables, including Internet infrastructure and the quality of a country’s education, that allows for technological innovation.

 In an interview with the Miami Herald, a co-directors of the study, Beñat Bilbao Osorio, shed some light on these results, “There are several areas in which many Latin American countries are falling behind, especially those that have to do with human capital, education, and skills, which are just as important as Internet infrastructure,” Beñat Bilbao said. “Most people in the region use the Internet to write e-mails, but what’s missing is using the Internet in ways that have an economic impact, such as creating new business models or revolutionary companies, such as Amazon.com.”

While it's true that many countries in Latin America are heavy Internet users, they are not utilizing the Internet in a way that's especially innovative, i.e. new ways of doing business, or new applications to use existing technology for more efficient uses.

One things for certain, when it comes to the people of Latin America, the desire to connect and consume online is inherent. However, the region is still an open frontier in terms of innovation and entrepreneurship.